DTC Podcast Ep 549: The Future of Unified Commerce with Shopify's Head of Retail, Ray Reddy
Oct 6, 2025
In a thought-provoking discussion, Ray Reddy, VP of Retail at Shopify, reveals how the company is transforming point-of-sale systems into comprehensive commerce operating systems. He highlights the importance of unified commerce and how AI is revolutionizing retail by automating mundane tasks. Ray emphasizes the potential of physical stores, advocating for enhanced customer identification through innovative tech. The conversation also explores the long-term considerations for merchants when choosing technology partners, making this a must-listen for anyone in retail.
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POS As A Commerce Operating System
- Shopify's POS evolved into a commerce operating system that merchants run their whole business on.
- The platform combines deep APIs, extensibility, and a large developer ecosystem to support diverse merchant needs.
Retail Demands Different POS Capabilities
- POS shifted from an add-on for online-first brands to a full product powering retail-first merchants.
- Physical retail requires solving complex problems like county-level tax, cash management, and granular permissioning.
Build Core, Partner For Specialization
- Shopify builds core features for "most merchants most of the time" and partners where specialist solutions exist.
- Integrated partnerships must feel native so merchants expect Shopify to stand behind tax, payments, and compliance.